Several Moore League teams are tugging on Poly's Super-rabbit cape

Jan. 5, 2014

Updated 9:41 p.m.

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JSerra's Haitham Chehabi takes the ball to the basket as Millikan's Reggie Pope guards him during an Ocean View Tournament of Champions first-round game Monday night at Ocean View High. STEVEN GEORGES, FOR THE REGISTER

JSerra's Haitham Chehabi takes the ball to the basket as Millikan's Reggie Pope guards him during an Ocean View Tournament of Champions first-round game Monday night at Ocean View High. STEVEN GEORGES, FOR THE REGISTER

Ten Moore League Players to Watch

(Alphabetically)

Isaiah Bailey, G/F, Compton

Kyron Cartwright, G, Compton

Jordan Dallas, C, Poly

Ke'Jhan Feagin, G, Poly

Malik Marquetti, F, Millikan

Kameron Murrell, G, Poly

Antonio Singleton, G/F, Cabrillo

Chris Sullivan, G/F, Poly

Iziahiah Sweeney, G/F, Compton

Sequan Walker, G, Cabrillo

Projected Moore League standings

1. Compton (11-3)

Top three players now seniors, giving Tarbabes legitimate league title chance.

2. Poly (8-6)

Facing more adversity than past years but Poly is still Poly.

3. Millikan (7-4)

Malik Marquetti & Co. give Rams best squad in years.

4. Lakewood (9-5)

Could be best season since 2010-11 but league title push still a stretch.

5. Jordan (5-9)

Will take some time for first-year coach James McDonald to instill his systems.

6. Cabrillo (2-4)

Sequan Walker and Antonio Singleton give Jaguars two go-to scorers.

7. Wilson (4-7)

Dominic Peoples can score but needs consistent help.

More than a month of non-league games has done nothing to dispel the most-commonly traded notion regarding the 2014 Moore League boys basketball season.

It is viewed as a three-way competition, an intriguing race between the four-time defending champion (Poly), a perennial league contender (Compton) and, most impressively, a program that finished last in the standings just two years ago (Millikan).

This battle for supremacy heats up Wednesday with the first slate of Moore League games. Right off the bat, Chris Sullivan, Kameron Murrell, Ke’Jhan Feagin and the Jackrabbits of Poly host USC-committed Malik Marquetti and up-and-coming Millikan, which will also be buoyed by three transfers who became eligible today.

But while three teams are expected to rise above the pack, the league’s four other schools start this week with the same 0-0 record and share the same goal of a league title. With that in mind, here is a look at each of the league’s seven teams, listed in order of our projected finish in the standings:

Compton’s top three players, Iziahiah Sweeney, Loyola-Marymount committed Kyron Cartwright and Fresno-State committed Isaiah Bailey, are seniors, so the team feels as if this is its year to knock off Poly for a league title.

The Tarbabes, who also hope to compete for a CIF-Southern Section Division 2A title, have gotten off to a nice start in non-league play, their only losses coming against quality teams in Mayfair, Etiwanda and Loyola of Los Angeles. They actually already own a win over Millikan, a 78-66 victory on Nov. 29 in the Pac-Shores Tournament.

Sullivan, Murrell and Feagin are Poly’s only three returners from last season’s team and there is a new face on the bench, as interim coach Shelton Diggs leads the team while Sharrief Metoyer serves his one-year suspension.

The Jackrabbits have had an up-and-down start to the season, losing several close games against quality competition, including Saturday’s loss to Bishop Montgomery. But Poly is still Poly and the four-time defending league champions figure to once again contend for a league title.

Millikan Rams (7-4)

Coach: Chris Francis, second season (21-19)

2012-13 record: 14-15, 8-4

2012-13 postseason: advanced to the quarterfinals of the Division 1A playoffs, losing to Crescenta Valley

Two years removed from a 4-22 season and last-place finish, the Rams enter league play in great position.

The 6-foot-6 Marquetti has emerged as a league player of the year candidate, his recruiting status rising to the point in which he recently committed to USC. Mark Thomas is the floor general, good for double digit points and a handful of assists per game, while Reggie Pope and Vlad Kandybovich have also contributed good numbers thus far. The three transfers, William English, Bryndon Wilson and David Murrell, give Francis even more to work with.

Lakewood Lancers (9-5)

Coach: Matt Ruiz, 19th season

2012-13 record: 6-21, 1-11.

2012-13 postseason: None.

Though they struggled mightily last season, the Lancers have already shown improvement from a year ago. Runner-ups at the recent Whittier Holiday Invitational, Lakewood already has more wins than it had all of last season.

This year’s team is senior heavy but entered the winter still inexperienced at the varsity level. Julio Casillas, a 6-foot-5 senior forward, is the top scoring option, while fellow seniors Chris Wooten, Jacob Fink and Ryan Pope are starters who return with some playing experience.

A trio of football players, Nevada-committed linebacker Jarid Joseph, wide receiver Myles Davis and Pope, a 6-foot-8 offensive lineman, bring added size, strength and athleticism to the team. Transfers Tyson Day, a sophomore from Millikan, and Kahani Smith, who came from King Drew of Los Angeles, were set to become eligible today.

Jordan Panthers (5-9)

Coach: James McDonald, first season (5-9)

2012-13 record: 12-19, 5-7 Moore League.

2012-13 postseason: Lost in the first round of the Division 1AA playoffs.

The Panthers are inexperienced – just four of their 14 players were on the varsity squad last season – and young – three sophomores started in their last game against Muir of Pasadena – but figure to improve as the winter wares on.

McDonald, the former Poly basketball player, Rams tight end and the father of Poly grad and Major League pitcher James McDonald, used the non-league season to figure out his starting lineup and his rotation, which he said will likely include eight or nine players.

The team doesn’t have a go-to scorer, per se, but first-year varsity player David Shelton and Milan Meeks, one of the few returnees, have shown a knack for scoring in the early part of the season. Aside from Meeks, Semaj Thomas, Keshaun Mack and Jeremiah Lee are the only returning players who made varsity last season.

Cabrillo Jaguars (2-4)

Coach: Jay Johnson, third season (22-34).

2012-13 record: 10-15, 4-8.

2012-13 postseason: lost in first round of the Division 1A playoffs to El Toro.

The Jaguars also return a young team, evidenced by a roster that includes just one senior in Antonio Singleton, a talented guard who doubles as the top returning scorer from the 2012-13 squad. Singleton earned all-tournament honors at San Pedro High School’s recent Christmas tournament.

Sequan Walker, last season’s second-best scorer, is back for his junior year and has impressed in the pre-league season with several 30-point games. A 6-foot-2 guard, Walker is a Division I college prospect and, along with Singleton, a player to watch throughout league play.

The rest of Cabrillo’s lineup consists of players who competed at the junior varsity level last season. A key to the Jaguars’ 2014 success could hinge on whether a third scorer emerges from the pack to abet Singleton and Walker.

Wilson Bruins (4-6)

Coach: Derek Jones, second season (9-21).

2012-13 record: 5-15, 3-9.

2012-13 postseason: None.

Dominic Peoples, who emerged as a scoring threat last year, is the Bruins’ go-to scorer but the 6-foot senior guard needs consistent help in the scoring department if Wilson is to have success.

Peoples is the only returning starter. Keanu Tamara, a transfer from Woodbridge (Irvine), is typically Wilson’s second option and, at 6-foot-5, is the team’s best shot blocker.

Though Tamara is a natural shooting guard, coach Jones converted the junior to play in the post because of his size. Junior Maurkel Williams, who is listed at 6-foot-6, is Wilson’s only other player taller than 6-foot-3, one of the factors that will leave the Bruins at a disadvantage in contests against the likes of Poly, Millikan and Compton

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